1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to wireless devices, and more particularly to methods for improving transmission services between such devices.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the number and type of electronic devices have proliferated, so have the number and type of connectors and protocols for communicating between the electronic devices. For example, televisions, personal computers (and associated peripheral devices), personal digital assistants (PDAs) and mobile telephones all typically require different methods for communicating with other electronic devices. As a result, a given electronic device must either embrace multiple communication techniques (e.g., a personal computer may support different protocols for different peripheral devices, and may have one or more serial, parallel and infrared I/O ports), or do without the ability to communicate with a particular device. Moreover, even if an electronic device has the ability to support a plurality of communication techniques, the corresponding increase in associated processing power and the number of cables/connectors to provide such support can prove cumbersome or prohibitive.
The Bluetooth standard protocol was developed with the above in mind, and provides a single protocol for wireless communications between a plurality of different types of electronic devices. As such, this protocol overcomes many or all of the problems described above. Bluetooth is described in more detail in, for example, Specification of the Bluetooth System, v0.8, Jan. 22, 1999 (and in subsequent revisions thereof), which is hereby incorporated herein by reference and may hereinafter be referred to as the “Bluetooth specification.”
In addition to overcoming the above-discussed problems, Bluetooth also permits the grouping of physically proximate wireless devices into local networks known as “piconets.” Such piconets may operate in a “peer-to-peer” manner (each communicating directly with one another), or may utilize a “master-slave” relationship, in which one device serves as a central point for the network, through which each of the other network devices communicate.
The Bluetooth specification provides for devices in different power classes. For example, low power (class 3) devices have a maximum power output of 1 mW, representing a typical transmission range of 10 meters, while high power (class 1) devices may produce up to 100 mW output, for an approximate transmission range of 100 meters. The protocol for communication between all devices is uniform, so that class 1 and class 3 devices may exchange data, assuming they are in range of one another.
For cost and power consumption (battery life) considerations, most handheld/portable devices implementing Bluetooth are class 3 devices. This means that even if one of these devices is plugged into a wall outlet to save battery power, its transmission range typically will not extend beyond approximately 10 meters. In contrast, most fixed devices implementing Bluetooth are conventionally class 1 devices.
Given the portability of such a handheld device, it may easily be moved beyond its effective transmission range for communicating with other devices. For example, the handheld device may be moved to a position where it can still detect transmissions from a fixed device, but the fixed device will not be able to detect the handheld device's replies. Similarly, one handheld device may be moved out of its effective transmission/reception range with respect to a second handheld device. Such movements can result in abrupt transmission interruptions (or stoppages) between the devices. Moreover, to the extent that a handheld device is part of a piconet, the device may experience such interruptions/stoppages despite the fact that another device within the piconet (or possibly even outside of the piconet) is within range and capable of forwarding transmissions to and from the device.
Although the transmission range of the device could be extended by increasing its power (or some other common method), such alterations would be problematic for reasons such as cost, battery limitations and increased interference between devices.